“Nigeria’s Future Must Be Decided Through Credible Elections” – Shettima Inaugurates Transporters for Tinubu/Shettima 2027

Transport union leaders and their members gathered in Abuja on Monday for the formal inauguration of the National Structure of Transporters for Tinubu/Shettima 2027, a coalition spanning road, rail, aviation, maritime, logistics, and pipeline transport groups campaigning for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

In his address, Vice President Kashim Shettima described transporters as “credible witnesses to our struggles” and called for peaceful, issue-based political engagement.

The Vice President was represented by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, Deputy Chief of Staff to the President in the Office of the Vice President, who read the address and performed the formal inauguration of the group’s National Working Committee, coordinators for the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, and coordinators for all 774 local government areas.

“Every day you convey people and goods from one part of the nation to another, and this makes you credible witnesses to our struggles,” the Vice President’s message read.

He warned against violence, intimidation, and electoral misconduct.

“No political objective is improved by disorder,” he said. “Elections are opportunities for every citizen or group to express their interests and demonstrate their preferences.”

The keynote address was delivered on behalf of APC National Chairman Professor Nentawe Yilwatda by Barr. Emeka Okafor. He welcomed the transporters’ unity and said the sector remains critical to the economy and to the administration’s Renewed Hope agenda.

“The APC Chairman and the entire party leadership commend you for coming together under this platform to support our President and Vice President,” Okafor said.

He urged members to spread the record of the administration’s work and to help consolidate its gains ahead of 2027.

Prince Segun Obayendo, Technical Adviser to the Vice President on Transportation, Logistics and Innovation and National Coordinator of the group, said the coalition had begun building a digital membership database and claimed it represents more than 19 million transporters across Nigeria.

He said the group would deliver more than eight million votes for the Tinubu/Shettima ticket.

“We are not just talking for talking sake,” Obayendo said. “We are talking because we are united. We are talking because we are working with data.”

Obayendo argued that no government in Nigeria’s history had taken transportation as seriously as the current one, citing fuel subsidy removal, CNG expansion, and investment in electric mobility. He said the group’s structure was built from the national level down to local government coordinators to ensure political coordination.

Prince Adetokunbo Ademola Ade-John, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Transportation and Mobility, praised the administration’s infrastructure work and called on transport unions to digitize passenger manifests and improve security reporting. He said illegal movement of crude oil and minerals had been reduced and should not be allowed to return.

In a goodwill message, Dr. Obiakpor Odire, representing Director General of the Tinubu Support Group Dr. Umar Tanko Yakasai, congratulated the transporters and described them as strategic partners for grassroots mobilization.

“Your network and reach will be vital in taking the message of renewed hope to the grassroots,” Odire said.

The event also drew goodwill messages from prominent union leaders, including Alhaji Mohammed Sanni of the National Commercial Tricycle and Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association (NACTOMORAS), Alhaji Najeem Usman Yasin, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), FCT Abuja, and Ambassador Aisha Mousa Lawal, a leading figure in the United Keke Owners and Riders Association in Nigeria.

Their presence underscored the breadth of support the coalition has drawn from across the transport sector and marked a formal consolidation of its campaign structure ahead of the 2027 elections.

By Olusemire Jegede